cervical cancer

The HPV vaccine has been making headlines for the last few years as a way to help prevent cervical cancer. A vaccine that can prevent cancer is certainly newsworthy! However, lately the vaccine has come under fire for a number of reasons.

What is HPV?

HPV, or genital human papillomavirus, is the name used to describe several common sexually transmitted infection caused by a family of viruses. Most people never know they have the virus, but it can cause symptoms and can be transmitted through sexual contact whether or not the infected partner is symptomatic. It is possible to be infected with more than one form of the virus and to be infected for years without symptoms, spreading the virus the entire time. HPV can also lead to cervical cancer in a small number of infected women. While HPV can lead to several forms of cancer, the virus is present in almost all cervical cancer cases. Therefore, the vaccine can effectively prevent cervical cancer in most women. However, it is important to note that the occurrence of cancer in those with HPV is extremely low overall. [click to continue…]